The present invention relates to an electrical connector.
An air-bag electrical circuit of an automobile typically has a ferrite core provided thereon in order to reduce noise along this circuit. One example of this is described in JP 11-144796. In this example, ferrite cores are attached to the exterior of electric wires, at a location close to the ends thereof, and terminal fittings are crimped to these electric wires at locations which are closer than the ferrite cores to the ends. The terminal fittings and the ferrite cores are housed, together with the ends of the electric wires, within a connector housing.
In the connector described above, in which the ferrite cores are attached to the exterior of electric wires, the outer dimension of the terminal fittings is greater than that of the electric wires. Consequently, these terminal fittings become an obstacle after they have been crimped to the ends of the electric wires, in that they prevent the ferrite cores from being fitted. As a result, when the joining operation is taking place, the ferrite cores are attached first, and then the ends of the electric wires are placed in a crimping device and the terminal fittings are crimped thereto. However, when the ferrite cores are in an attached state with the outside of the electric wires, it is difficult to automate the process of delivering the electric wires to their crimping location and of pulling out the electric wires which have been crimped. These operations must be performed manually. Consequently, the operability of the joining operation needs to be improved.
The present invention has taken the above problem into consideration, and aims to present a connector in which operability is improved when joining electric wires and terminal fittings, and when attaching ferrite cores.
According to the invention there is provided an intermediate metal conducting member assembly comprising:
an intermediate metal conducting member having a first connection portion at a first end thereof and a second connection portion at a second end thereof, said first and second connection portions being configured to respectively engage with, and bridge mating metal contact members to provide an electrical circuit, and
a noise shielding member substantially surrounding said intermediate metal conducting member so as in use to shield said electrical circuit against electrical noise.
Since the conducting member is releasably attachable to mating contact members, a contact member can itself be attached to an electric wire separately from the attachment of the ferrite core.
Preferably the conducting member protrudues in an attachment direction, and said housing defines a cavity in said attachment direction and aligned with said conducting member to permit insertion of said terminal fitting from the exterior for engagement with said conducting member.
In the preferred embodiment the connector has two conducting members and a single ferrite core having two apertures therethrough, one aperture for each conducting member.